What are the Causes of Arthritis?

Arthritis is a condition which can affect the musculoskeletal system by breaking down the cartilage. People of all ages can be affected by arthritis. There are many types of arthritis, the most common among them being rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune condition where the body’s immune system attacks the healthy cells in the joints. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative arthritis which attacks one or more joints in the body.

An individual can develop arthritis due of several factors, some of the causes being gender, age, weight, previous injury and nutritional factors. Other causes could involve wear and tear of joints causing inflammation, systemic diseases, infections and fractures.

Age: Arthritis can occur in people of all ages. Rheumatoid arthritis commonly occurs in the 25 to 50 age group. Osteoarthritis commonly occurs in older patients, with some cases occurring due to injury in younger patients. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis affects children upto 16 years of age.

Weight: Obesity can lead to arthritis as the load-bearing joints can get damaged more easily. Some of the load-bearing areas prone to arthritis are the lower back and the hip.

Previous injury: Any previous injury such as a fracture or a muscle, ligament or tendon injury can develop into arthritis.

Systemic diseases: Systemic conditions such as gout and lupus which are types of arthritis.

Infections: Bacterial and viral conditions such as chlamydia, mumps and human parvovirus.

Erosion of cartilage in the joints is the most common cause of arthritis. This can result in the bones rubbing against each other to cause misshapen joints and deformities. Some congenital deformities like uneven bone structures or misalignment of bones in the joint may also cause arthritis.

Some of the common types of Arthritis and their causes include
Hip Arthritis: This type of arthritis is a degenerative disease of the hip commonly caused due to the wear and tear of the cartilage which damages the joint. Hip arthritis can also be caused due to a previous injury and develops over a period of time.

Rheumatoid Spondylitis: This is a type of arthritis of the spine also known as ankylosing Spondylitis or bechterew’s disease. Rheumatoid Spondylitis is caused due to inflammation between the vertebrae, spine and pelvis. Males are more prone to this type of arthritis than females. This can also cause inflammation in other areas of the body, spinal rigidity and breathing problems.

Gout: Gout is a painful arthritic condition which can be caused by the presence of high levels of uric acid in the body. This in turn might lead to the formation of urate crystals in the joints causing pain and tenderness.

Fibromyalgia: This is condition characterized by widespread muscle pain accompanied by a feeling of chronic fatigue. This condition is more common in people in their middle ages. Fibromyalgia can be caused by a number of factors such as repetitive injuries, illnesses and infections as well as changes in the nervous system.

Juvenile Arthritis: This type of arthritis is an autoimmune condition affecting children. This occurs when the body turns on itself and starts attacking the healthy cells causing damage to the tissues.